Naruto:trials of a Kitsune
by Thunder Chief
Summary: Due to a change in the seal, Naruto is not only the new king of the demons, but is also a kitsune. Ch. 6 up. Rated m for safety
1. the change

-1Ok in this story, Naruto will NOT have the kyuubi locked inside himself. Instead, he will be a kitsune. All teams are the same and the story picks up right after the bell test. Enjoy

It was a beautiful Monday evening in the Leaf village and Naruto was running home after passing the bell test of his new sensei. However, instead of being happy and jumping for joy at starting down the road of becoming Hokage, the twelve year old had a fearful look in his eyes.

'Got to get home, got to be inside before sun down! I can't let the people see me tonight!'

Suddenly a sharp pain flared just as he was reaching the door to his home. The pain made him double over and cry out. It felt as if his insides were going to explode out of his body.

'Damn, not now, please God not now!'

His pleas were answered as the pain let up just long enough for him to get inside the safety of his apartment and lock the door behind himself. Naruto then stumbled into the center of the room and grabbed his stomach in agony. He could feel his intestines moving and muscles bulging slightly as the transformation began. He had lived with this curse for as far back as he could remember. He had never told a soul in fear of being killed. Only the old Hokage somehow knew of the trouble that the young blond went through each Monday evening at sundown, how he would be racked with pain as his body twisted and molded its self into a monster.

His musings were brought to a halt when the shoulders of his orange jump suite burst apart showing the flesh beneath that was squirming while the muscles below bulged and shifted. His legs were next, as they swelled larger than his pants could allow. His ninja equipment pouches fell away and the fabric of his trousers burst from the building pressure. Naruto held his hands up to his face and watched through tear filled eyes as his fingers puffed up and the nails quickly became claws and pads grew at the tips. This made his hands seem more like paws while still being able to grasp objects. His feet were going through a similar change, with large pads growing on the bottoms of his toes and the balls of the feet, while a sickening crunch sounded as they became digitigrade. He tried to fight it, he truly did. But every week, every Monday at sundown the change came, and the more he fought, the more painful it was. Naruto squeezed his eyes tight as his face began to change, pushing out into the start of a slender muzzle. His ears grew pointed while they shifted to the top of his head where they began to be covered with red fur that was soft to the touch. He finally opened his eyes, which had become green and silted, to stare down at his chest where what was left of his top finally burst as he grew. All across his body his muscles were getting larger yet, not so big as to be seen as grotesque. Soft fur then began to cover his body, first growing a puffy, cream colored under coat, followed by the longer red guard hairs of the outer coat. All that fur made Naruto look like an overgrown plushy. With a loud crack and cry of pain, his muzzle finished developing, the sharp teeth gleaming in the low light of the room. Tears began to dampen his face fur as he fell to his knees. He hated this last part, the part of the transformation that showed the world that he was not human. With a series of cracks and pops, he felt a pressure building at the base of his spine. He gave a pained growl as what was left of his pants finally tore away letting his nine tails develop. They each grew to over ten feet in length and fluffed out to be as big around as his torso. With the change finally over, a teary eyed Naruto looked in the mirror at the beast he had become. He had gained nearly two feet in height putting his final height at just over seven foot. His muscles were well defined making him look like a amateur body builder. The fur that covered his body was red in color with the tips of his tails and ears ending in black, while the area from his chin down to his thighs had become a creamy white. The young ninja, turned kitsune, sobbed loudly as he climbed into bed.

'I fucking HATE Mondays!'

Across the village at the Hokage tower, the leader of the village sat sadly staring into his crystal ball as the boy he considered a grandson, morphed into a kitsune. When the young lad climbed into bed the aged leader put away the all seeing orb with a sigh. He then turned to the only other person in the room and spoke with a tired voice.

"Well Kakashi, now you know Naruto's great secret. Tell me, will you be able to work with him now that you know this? Or will you hate him like everybody else does?"

Kakashi had stood frozen to the spot while watching his student transform before his eyes. Sarutobi had told him that Naruto carried a dark curse but he had never dreamed that it could be this bad. At the Hokage's question, he looked into the eyes of his leader and sighed.

"I was under the impression that the nine tailed fox was sealed into Naruto and that he would only have trouble controlling his chakra."

"It is true that the beast was sealed into young Naruto twelve years ago. But, when Minato sealed the Kyuubi's power into him, Naruto became a kitsune. The soul of the fox was returned to hell but all of his power was placed into the boy. Naruto has become the new king of the demons. I just prey that when he grows up he will lead this village, not destroy it."

Kakashi listened with a clenched fist.

'How, how can the boy stay sane after all of this!? Any lesser man would kill himself after what happened. Just what the hell were you thinking sensei when you sealed the beast's power into your son?'

"Is he still in control when he shifts, does he know what he is doing?"

The Hokage studied the masked jonin before speaking.

"You saw for your self did you not? Naruto's body may shift but his mind remains his own, the only change it goes through would be that he receives the instincts of a common fox. Nothing too drastic, just the common things any normal fox would think of. But overall, Naruto is still Naruto even if he no longer looks like it."

At this Kakashi relaxed, ever since he was assigned to watch over the boy several years ago, he had admired him. No matter how many times he was yelled at, kicked out of a store for merely being there or beaten on his birthday, Naruto always bounced back stronger than ever. Kakashi had even been known to leave presents in Naruto's home from time to time. They were usually some type of mind game like a rubix cube or the like. He was dumbfounded when he watched the boy complete the cube in less than a minute at only the age of six, and then giggle like a kid in a candy store. He now knew WHY Naruto could do this. All types of vulpine were intimately curious and loved puzzles. So it was little wonder that young Naruto could do such things with ease. He then looked back at Sarutobi and smiled behind his mask.

"To harm a kitsune is to invite its wrath, to befriend a kitsune is to have eternal good luck. Besides, I think it will make things a bit more lively around here."

The Hokage face palmed at the odd comment but understood what he meant. He then lit his pipe and reclined back in his chair for a bit.

"Alright Kakshi, I am going to trust you with Naruto's well being. I wish you the best of luck, dismissed."

As Kakashi walked out of the room, Sarutobi looked up at the pictures of the past Hokages and glared at the picture of the forth.

'Minato, I know not what you were thinking that night twelve years ago, but if I ever see you in the next life I am going to shove my foot so far up your ass, you will be farting out leather till dooms day!'

**Please read and review. thank you **

Now then, authors note time.

This story will not be as dark or as bloody as others I have written.

There will be bashing, but who it will be, well, you will have to wait and see. I promise it will not be severe.

The pairings will be NarutoXHinata, and others.

As a kitsune, Naruto will be over powered but not God like.

As for flames, go ahead, I got a bag of marshmallows I want to cook XP


	2. chapter 2

-1Hello again.

First off I would like to say that I am sorry for not proof reading my work and letting it look like ass. The problem has been fixed (I hope) so now those spelling mistakes in the first chapter should be fixed, if not let me know.

As for the bashing. Like I said before, I will not have Naruto needlessly bashing a character every chapter.

Someone asked "How will Naruto be able to use his powers if Kyuubi is not there to teach him?" Just wait and see. Trust me.

Just because I am making Naruto UBER powerful, does not mean he will be able to take on the world. There are limits to his power so don't expect to see him wiping the floor with EVERY body that he meets

Kizoku Seishin, I thank you for your review and pointing out those things to me. 1. The reason I said ' I suck at summaries' is because its true. I really had no clue what to put, but I understand what you were saying and it has been changed.

2. As for the long paragraph in the middle, I wanted to describe a transformation as best as I could. I guess I went a bit overboard, sorry.

3. Spelling has never been easy for me.(Thank you public education, you FUCKING SHITS!!) Even though I have lived my whole life in the U.S. and use nothing but English in my speech, its still hard for me to write it down.(See education) Rest assured, I did not do it for kicks nor was I doing it half assed. As for beta, I have one...sort of.

Thank everyone for the reviews, please, keep em' coming. And thank you Kizoku, for making those points, I WILL try harder to make this story stand out from the rest.

Now back to the show.

--

As the morning light flooded into the small apartment, Naruto opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to bring everything into focus, but when he did he sighed.

"Thank God that's over, at least I'm not fuzzy any more."

After climbing out of bed, (with much protest from his body), Naruto showered and dug around in his closet for a replacement for his jumpsuit. He finally found a black, short sleeved t-shirt and a matching pair of pants. He had found them a few years back while hiding from an angry mob behind the Akimichi compound. As such, they were way too big to fit him yet would fit his transformed self just right. After tucking the shirt in and rolling his pant legs up, Naruto made ready to met his team at their regular spot. But just as he was retrieving his equipment and headband, a soft knock was heard at the door. Not willing to face some jackass villager wanting to kill him, Naruto stayed put.

"Naruto open up. Its me, Kakashi."

Naruto was surprised at his sensei coming to his home and the tired voice he used. After opening the door, he found his teacher leaning against the frame with his hands in his pockets.

"Sensei, what are you doing hear?"

"Well other than letting you know we were going to meet up a bit late, I thought I might see how you were doing."

Naruto was a bit wary of his teacher.

'Does he know? No, if he did he would have tried something by now.'

"By the way, if I had known you were going to be late getting home, last night, I would have let you go sooner."

Now he knew something was up. Naruto jumped back into his room and took a defensive stance. Kakashi just walked in, shutting the door behind himself. Naruto watched as his teacher put up a sound barrier and sighed. After looking around and finding that his sensei was guarding the nearest exit, Naruto began to growl as he felt the familiar presser building up inside himself. Seeing this, Kakashi put his hands up and spoke in a non threatening voice.

"Naruto calm down I'm not hear to hurt you. I just wanted to come by and check up on you."

Not believing a word of it, Naruto's growls turned into a vicious snarl with his lips curled back and his teeth becoming fangs. Kakashi was now scared, he didn't want to fight Naruto and he sure as hell didn't want to be used as a chew toy. With his hands still raised, Kakashi moved away from the door so as to give the young kitsune a clear escape rout. Naruto watched this and calmed down a bit but was continuing to give out a warning growl to keep Kakashi at bay. Just when the scarecrow thought that the feral looking Naruto was going to dash out the door, he was surprised when the boy quieted and closed his eyes. After a few tense minuets of silence, Naruto fixed his teacher with a cold glare.

"How did you find out about me?"

Happy that his student had calmed a bit, Kakashi relaxed but kept his hands raised.

"It was lord Hokage who showed me your transformation using his crystal ball. I have to say Naruto, your ability to transform yourself is quite amazing."

At hearing Kakashi's compliment and that the old man had been the one to reveal the secret to Kakashi, Naruto relaxed as well. He knew the Hokage would only revile his secret if it was necessary.

"Well, as that's one crisis averted. I have something to give you."

Kakashi dug in his vest for a moment before giving the kitsune a pair of twisted nails. The nails had a small loop in their middle that held them together. At seeing this Naruto's eyes brightened and he began to fidget. Less than a minute after Kakashi handed over the small gift, Naruto was able to separate the nails by carefully moving the two nails around till the holes were lined up properly so that the nails slipped free. Once he completed the puzzle Naruto let out a small cheer. Suddenly it dawned on him, Kakashi, his sensei, was the one who would leave him gifts in his house. Realizing this, Naruto's eyes then began to tear up. Kakashi smiled as Naruto breezed though the puzzle with ease, but when the boys eyes began to water and a sad look came to his face, Kakashi could only frown.

"Why? Why would you give me these things? Why would show kindness to a monster?"

"SILENCE!!"

Naruto jumped at the shout and looked up at his teacher in fear. He could see his sensei's one visible eye glaring right at him while his fists shook with rage.

"Just shut up Naruto! I don't want to hear you EVER call yourself a monster again, Is that clear!?"

The young kitsune just stood there in shock. He thought that he would be beaten when his sensei yelled at him or worse. Yet Kakashi did not seem mad at him, he seemed mad at something else. Naruto gulped and nodded his head to answer his teacher who again relaxed.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Naruto. But you are no monster. You have never killed or tortured a person, nor have I ever seen you even look down upon someone. Kitsune or not, you still have a pure soul and I have to say that I envy you. I can kill a man without an ounce of regret, sigh so if anyone hear should be called a monster, its me. As for the gifs I have given you over the years, I always found it cool that you were able to solve those mind games when they would stump most other people."

Naruto stood in shock at the words of his sensei. Other than the old man and Iruka, no one had ever showed any kindness to him.

"Now if that's all cleared up. Get your gear ready so we can go. I have a friend I want you to meet."

Naruto shook his head and quickly gathered his ninja gear. After locking up, the two sat off across town. As they walked, several people would give hateful glares at the young kitsune yet would not dare do anything else in the presence of the infamous 'copy cat Kakashi'. After walking clear across town, the two arrived in front of a store that Naruto had never seen before. When Kakashi calmly went inside and gestured for Naruto to fallow, the boy just stood there with a sad look on his face.

"I'll wait hear for you sensei, whoever owns this place will just throw me out."

"Hahaha. Not likely Naruto, see, a friend of mine owns this place, and he is what you might call 'different'.

"So, he won't chase me out?"

"Of course not, now come on."

With that they entered the dark shop and Kakashi called out.

"Mister O' Malley, are you here!? I have a favor I wish to ask!"

Naruto jumped when he heard a loud crash, followed by a very thick accented voice.

"Bloody hell Kakashi! What in tha name of Peter do ya want!"

Naruto could hear foot steps behind the counter but could see no one. Then a scraping noise filled the air after which, a small man in a green suite jumped onto the counter. The short, red bearded, man was no more than two feet tall, counting his green top hat. He also wore a pair of shiny black shoes with a gold buckle on them. The small man marched over to Kakashi and after removing a porcelain pipe from his mouth, proceeded to rail on his customer.

"Ya know damn good an well not ta go a barging inta me store like that! So what tha devil do ya want, ya one eyed scarecrow?!"

Kakashi just turned to Naruto and smiled.

"Naruto, I would like you to meet Francis O' Mally. Our resident leprechaun."

--

Note time.

So what ya think? Ever seen a Naruto fic with a leprechaun before?

R&R please.


	3. Naruto, new and improved

Hello again everybody and welcome back to the show.

Sorry for the wait, been a bit crazy hear at home.

Wow, I never guessed that so many people would read this story. It gives me such a good feeling, thank you.

Now, about the leprechaun, he is not just some random character that I pulled out of my ass. He will play a larger role in later chapters, but for right now, he will only make a brief appearance.

I only own the original characters in the story. Naruto and others belong to their creator.

Once again I wish to thank everybody who has been reading the story, so without further delay, on with the show!

--

"Naruto, I would like you to meet Francis O' Mally. Our resident leprechaun."

Naruto just stared at the small man as he turned and marched over to the boy. After placing his pipe back in his mouth, Francis let out a few puffs of smoke and fixed Naruto with a cold glair.

"So, just what tha hell makes you so blooming important that ole 'one eye' over there would risk me cover getting blown over, eh?"

Naruto turned to his sensei for help. At seeing Naruto's pleading face, Kakashi cleared his throught.

"Ah, come on Mr. O' Mally, can't you even tell a kitsune from a normal person? Or are you going blind in your old age?"

At this Francis sputtered and wheeled around to Kakashi with an opened mouth, his pipe falling to the counter top. When he saw the short man's confusion, Kakashi grinned at Naruto who was now scared stiff at his sensei for reviling his secret.

"Kakashi sensei, w-why did you tell him my secret?!"

"Trust me Naruto, I know what I'm doing. Now I want you to transform and prove to Francis just who you are."

Naruto was frightened, first he meets a midget who has a fetish for green. Then, his sensei tells the midget that he's a kitsune. His trust was really being strained at this point, but if his teacher trusted this 'leprechaun' then maybe he should just go ahead with it.

Mr. O' Mally was many things but patient was not one of them. He stood there glaring daggers at the one eyed ninja who claimed to have brought in a kitsune.

'Bah! What tha hell is this scarecrow up to now? Bringing that wee lad in here, giving away me secret like that and calling him a kitsune no less? I should just beat em to a pulp right now an leave em to tha rats!'

His musings were interrupted by a loud series of cracks and snaps. When Francis turned back to where the young blond stood, he could not help but to jump back in fright. What was once a young boy about twelve years of age, now stood a large, muscled, red kitsune. The fox like creature was at least seven feet tall and weighed about three hundred pounds. It's nine tails, ears, and ends of its hands and feet all ended in black, while its underbelly was a creamy white.

Kakashi smiled to hide the nervousness that he showed. When he watched Naruto transform the night before, he had watched as the boy's body was wracked with pain as it twisted and changed. He also noted that the process took almost ten minutes to complete, but just now, Naruto had managed to change in less than five seconds! Naruto also seemed to not experience any pain when he transformed just now, this confused Kakashi to no end.

'Dose this mean that all Naruto had to do to avoid the pain of the transformation, was to force the change instead of allowing it to happen on its own? If that is true, then why does he insist on trying to hide behind the mask of a human? Of course! Its those damn villagers, if they saw Naruto like this, there would be no safe place for him in Konoha, stupid fools!'

Francis had different thoughts running though his head.

'Saints preserve me! He looks just like him! But how, how could Barnaby's power be his to command?! Unless tha rumors be true, that tha forth Hokage truly did turn his own son into a kitsune by sealing off Barnaby's power inta tha lad. Then that means...that means that it be time to reform tha court. sigh Heaven help us.'

With a flick of his wrist Francis closed all the blinds and windows in the shop all without moving from his spot on the counter. He then removed his green top hat and ran a hand across his balding head. Naruto, who had been standing there since he transformed, was becoming a bit nervous. His long tails twitched and swayed in the room while the other two people just stared at him. When the windows and blinds closed with but a flick of the wrist, Naruto jumped and let out a small yelp. Francis waved his hand in a calming manner and spoke with a calm voice.

"Ah, don't be worrying about it, its just a wee bit of magic. Now, come along ladie, we have a few things ta discus."

Naruto watched as the leprechaun hopped off the counter and began to walk toward an open door at the back of the shop. After a quick glance at Kakashi, who just shrugged, the two fallowed Francis to the back. When they stepped into the room both ninja gasped at all the scrolls and books that were in piles in the room. Naruto shook his furry head in amazement.

'Its like a warehouse, its so big!'

Kakashi just gaped behind his mask.

'There is no way all this stuff could fit in a building this small! It has to be either an extremely advanced jusue or more likely some of Mr. O' Mally's magic!'

Indeed, it was magic. To fit a copy of every book, every scroll or parchment ever made into a building only as large as the office of the Hokage. Yet the mountons of literature stretched far as the eye could see. Kakashi could barley find his voice to speak.

"Um, gulp Mr. O' Mally? What is this place?"

Francis walked up to a steamer trunk and turned to face the two ninja.

"This, Kakashi, ya might say, would be me pot o' gold. Every book or scroll that has ever been written lies here in me vault."

Naruto's ears twitched as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"But I thought that Leprechauns had mountons of gold, not books."

At this Francis just smiled as he pulled a small gold coin out of his pocket and with the snap of his fingers, the coin became a leather bound book that was half the size of himself. After setting it down on the trunk, Francis called the other two over to the now opened book.

"Ah, tha measure of gold be in tha eye of tha owner. Now, Naruto, look at this page an tell me what ya see."

The young kitsune walked up to where the book rested and sat down Indian stile. As he began to look over the book, his mouth opened in amazement. On the page were four 'people', they were in a group and seemed to be posing for the camera. In the center, setting on a large pile of gold, was Francis O' Mally. He seemed to be playing some sort of instrument that consisted of a long mouth piece attached to an inflated sack of sorts that had other pipes coming out the back of the device. He seemed to be happily playing a tune as the others were in their poses.

To the left, stood a lean built coyote who wore a large head dress made of feathers that came down to his tail. His fur was a light brown broken up by small swirls of black. In his left hand was a tomahawk. Its cutting head made out of stone and adorned with more feathers and beads. While in his right hand, the coyote held what looked like glowing blue smoke that swirled around the entire grouped.

In the back, stood a huge, grey, werewolf wearing Viking armor. It held a massive, black, battle ax in one hand and a medium sized, grey, war hammer with lightning arching from the head, in the other hand. Naruto could tell that this wolf would dwarf himself by at least four feet if not more and his muscle mass would have him tipping the scales at around a thousand pounds easy. Naruto gulped at the size of the beast and reasoned that he would NOT want to piss him off, less he squashed like a bug.

The last figure had both Naruto and Kakashi in shock. It was a kitsune around the same size as Naruto standing on the right of the group with his arms crossed. He seamed to have a sour expression on his face, as if he hated being there. The two ninja also noted two very unpleasant features about this kitsune. First, his ears were much too long, almost making him look like a rabbit. Next was the claws, they were long and sharp where Narutos were short and blunt. But the one feature that had the two the most concerned was the fur, from head to toe, the kitsune was covered in blood red fur. Both ninja looked at each other and realized who this mystery fox was: Kyuubi, King of the demons.

"Judging from tha look on ya faces I guess ya both know who tha kitsune on tha page be, eh?"

After relighting his pipe and waiting for Naruto and Kakashi to find a place to sit, Francis began to tell of what he knew of the king of demons.

"Several thousand years ago, the last remnants of tha fey, uh that would be non humans to you, came together to form the Brethren Court. Ya see, we were all being wiped out for one reason or another and we wanted to save as many as we could, for as long as we could. I was crowned king of the court while a coyote named Spirit Walker was me second in command. The large werewolf in tha picture you saw went by tha name of Grey Beard the Mighty, he, as ya can guess, was our muscle, our one wolf army if ya will. Now, as fer me brother, Barnaby, well he came along a bit later."

Kakashi scratched his head in confusion.

"But we only could see one leprechaun, you."

Francis's face took on a sad look

"Ay, that's cause me brother was not a very good soul to say tha least. He tried ta trick an old witch inta giving up her secrets to him. When he got caught, the witch turned him inta a kitsune ta match his crimes, ya know, tricking her in all. When that happened, me brother changed mentally, he no longer wanted to help people at all, only hurt them. Everyone in tha court wanted him gone, but I always said no, he was me brother after all. Tell me, how would YOU feel if I told ya ta kill yer own brother, yer own flesh n' blood?!"

Naruto's ears drooped at hearing this. It was an imposable choice, just like Kakashi sensei had showed him the day before with Sasuke and Sakura. Francis could see that the young kitsune understood, at least some, of what was said.

"Anyway, along about a year before he trashed the village, Barnaby began ta become more and more desperate for power. In fact, he was so drunk on his lust for power that he killed me two best friends in cold blood. He poisoned Grey Beard with small silver flakes in his drink during a big feast that we were all having. He died cursing me brother for his betrayal, of course when I heard this I looked everywhere trying ta find him, to make him pay for what he did. I went ta get Spirit Walker so he could help me track him down, but I was too late. Barnaby had broken inta Spirit's room an strangled tha poor mystic before I could even open tha door. When I saw what he had done, I lost control. I blasted that bastard all tha way to Konoha with me magic. What I didn't realize, was that Barnaby had absorbed me blast and added it to his own power. That was when he transformed inta that abomination that attacked tha village. The rest, as they say is history."

Kakashi walked up and placed a hand on the leprechaun's shoulder in sympathy, while Naruto gave a pained whine. Hearing this, Francis turned and gazed and Naruto who was openly weeping. After a few seconds, Francis walked over and laid a comforting hand upon the kitsune's shoulder.

"Come now ladie, don't be a crying over what happened. Twas not yer fault at all. After all, ya hadn't even been born yet. I had refused to see tha monster that me brother had become an tha court paid for it with their lives. There be none ta blame hear but me, an I made peace with that long ago. So dry yer eyes Naruto, its not becoming of ya."

Naruto chuckled a bit at hearing this and used his arm to wipe away his tears. He then stood up and looked back down at Francis who began to walk back into the front of the store.

"Come along you two, lets get ya some clothes that are better suited to a kitsune."

Naruto transformed back to his human state and joined Kakashi and Mr.O'Mally in the clothes section of the small shop where Kakashi was already holding a couple of items while Francis searched though a selection of pants.

"Now where did I put those...Ah, there they are."

Francis folded the pair of denim pants and gave them to Kakashi who handed the stack of clothes to Naruto and pointed to a changing booth against the far wall. After closing and locking the door, Naruto striped out of the shirt and pants that he had been wearing and began to scratch himself all over.

'Man, shifting with clothes on sucks. Makes my fur all tangled and damn does it itch!'

After a few seconds of scratching, the young blond was able to finally start trying on the clothes. The first thing he found was a pair of grey boxer/briefs that he immediately put on so as not to be standing around in the nude. The next item, was a black muscle shirt that was very stretchy and comfortable.

'Cool, I just hope it don't mess with my fur when I change.'

Naruto then put on the pants that Francis had picked out. He wondered why he would be given something that would not survive his shifting. After all, denim has virtually no strechabilaty, right? After zipping up the fly and butting them shut, Naruto found that there was a brown belt already in the pant loops with a Konaha leaf emblem as the buckle.

'Hmm, guess I wont have to wear my head band any more.'

The next thing Naruto found made him cringe. It was a pair of black leather boots that came to mid calf and ended with a flat 'nose' at the end of his foot. The soles of the boots had a grooved tread that created a diamond patterned and the entire thing was made out of an extremely tough leather, yet still remained comfortable.

'Man, these things are going to be a pain when I shift, what the hell was Mr. O'Mally thinking when he chose these?'

The last item that Naruto picked up was a black leather coat that came down to his waist and ended with a matching leather belt. Before trying on the coat, Naruto turned it around to look at the back and gasped at what was there. In big red letters were the words " BORN TO BE WILD". He gave a sad smile as he pulled on the coat but left it unzipped and unbuckled. After taking one last look in the mirror, Naruto walked out to his teacher and new friend. Kakashie's eye brows shot up at seeing his student in such clothing. Francis looked up at the young lad and smiled.

"Ah, that looks right good on ya ladie. Now, those clothes ya have on, are very special. Tha pants and boots are enchanted to repair themselves if they get damaged and give ya a fair bit of protection ta boot. The coat however, is truly special. Inside the layers of leather is a layer of mythril. Its elf armor, light as a feather, yet stronger than tempered steel. There is nothing in this world that can pierce it so that means that as long as ya wear that coat, your practically invincible. And just so ya know, all of those clothes will grow to fit ya as your body shifts, including the boots. They will provide ya with even more traction on any suffice ya might be on, even ice. Go ahead an transform to see what I mean."

Naruto cautiously nodded his head and sighed.

'Man, I hope Mr. O'Mally was right, otherwise this is going to hurt.'

As the transformation started, everybody in the room noticed that Francis had been right. As Naruto's body began to expand, all of his clothing maintained the same fit. The boots had everybody surprised, as Naruto's feet became paws, the boots began to transform to fit. As his ankles began to change into another 'knee' joint, the boots heel melted away to reinforce the rest of the boot. The paw section of the boot had now widened so that Naruto's new feet could rest comfortably inside without being squashed, he even had enough space to wiggle his toes a bit. There was also small protrusions in the front to house his claws, they even had reinforcing so he could still use them without fear of damaging them. As the transformation began its final phase, Naruto looked behind himself to see that his tails were making their way out into the open though an unseen slit in his clothing at the back of his spine. Each tail wormed their way free of the cloth and began to wave around in the air to show his happiness at having such cool clothes. He also noticed right away that all of his fur had grown in perfectly, instead of becoming messy or tangled.

"So ladie, what do ya think? Pretty cool, eh?"

Naruto just stood there for a moment with a shocked look upon his face before jumping forward and grabbing Mr. O'Mally into a fierce hug. Kakashi could barely hold in his laughter at seeing the leprechaun being 'hugged to death' by his student.

"ACK! LET ME GO, YA INFERNAL FUZZ BALL!!'"

Naruto finally let Francis go and watched as he jumped back up on the counter panting. Kakashi could no longer stand it, and began to laugh out loud at the leprechaun's misfourtun. Naruto however, had tears in his eyes as he admired his new outfit. It was the first time anyone had given him something new to wear, so naturally he was overjoyed.

"Mr. O'Mally I-I can't thank you enough for this. Nobody has really given me anything this cool before.

Francis looked at the young kitsune for a moment and smiled.

"Ah, you disserve it lad. Think of it as an early birthday gift. Oh, by tha way, I got one last thing ta give ya."

Naruto was absolutely dumbstruck at someone saying that all of this was a birthday present. Only the Hokage and Kakashi sensei had ever given him something for his birthday. Kakashi could see the shock on his students furry face and smiled. For years the only thing that he was able to give Naruto was puzzles and mind games, any thing else was always stolen or destroyed when the villagers would break into the young blonds home during the Kyuubi festival. So he was happy to see someone else showing kindness to Naruto.

After searching under the counter for a few moments, Francis brought out a pair of black fingerless gloves and a medium sized rectangle case. After walking over, Naruto looked down at Francis who was busy unlocking the case and desided to put on the gloves that were laid out. They were a bit snug but stretched more than enough to fit his enlarged hands, and even the fur under the gloves repositioned itself so as to lay down strait. After donning the gloves, Naruto looked back down to see that Francis had opened the case and removed some sort of weapon. The device was about four feet in length and made out of metal and wood. It had a pistol grip for a handle followed by a black barrel, held in place by another long piece of wood, that made up the majority of the length of the device. Underneath the weapon was a metal leaver that was bent around a small trigger. Naruto had no idea what the weapon was, so he just looked back at Mr.O'Mally.**( think of the custom shot gun from T2: Judgment day)**

"Uh, what is it?"

"This is called a 'chakra gun'. When ya transform to your fox form, this weapon will be your best bet. Ya see, in your fox form, your chakra is much more powerful than your human form. This gun will take a small amount of your chakra and form it into a solid bullet while inside the barrel. When ya pull the trigger, the 'bullet' is fired out toward your opponent. It can pierce any type of armor no matter how thick. Of course, if you try an use it while in your human form, it won't work. When you work the lever on tha bottom of tha gun, that is when your chakra is fed into the breach and made ready to fire."

Naruto and Kakashi both, looked at the gun in amassment. Neither had seen anything like it before in their life. Francis handed Naruto the gun and a matching leather holster to Naruto, who fixed the weapon holder to his belt on his left side, with the handle facing forwards.

After Naruto transformed back to his human form, the two ninjas spent the next few minuets talking with and thanking Francis O'Mally for the gifts. Francis had even invited Naruto over in the future to help the young blond learn how to use his kitsune powers. After saying their goodbyes and exiting the store, Kakashi smiled over at Naruto who looked happy as could be.

"Well Naruto, how do you like the new clothes and weapon?"

"There great Kakashi sensei! Mr. O'Mally is so cool!"

Kakashi chuckled at his students happiness.

"Well I'm glad you like them. Now, lets get over to the training ground and meet up with the others for a few missions, ok Naruto?"

"Right sensei! I'll race ya!"

And with that Naruto shot off over the rooftops at breakneck speeds, leaving Kakashi to laugh at his students antics.

'Naruto, if only your father could see you, I know he would be proud. I just hope you can one day find peace in this village of idiots.'

**AN time**

I wish to apologize for the bad grammar for Francis. I wanted to make him sound like the leprechauns one might see on TV, but I think I made it sound like crap. Any thoughts would be nice.

As to the reason why this story is rated M and not PG13, is due to the fact that later chapters will be having gore and other things that I won't mention here for fear of spoilers.

Kudos to who can guess who Naruto is suppose to look like from now on.XP

As for Naruto: Operation Last Call, I will do my best to continue work on it ASAP. Rest assured, It, along with this story, will be completed.


	4. New team mates, new mission

Welcome back to the show.

All was quite in the western woods as three figures darted from tree to tree. Each was doing their best to remain unseen to the enemy, for if they were spotted not only would the mission end in failure, the monster would continue its rampage in the village.

All three figures stopped when they made visual contact with the creature. Its short fluffy shape betrayed the destructive power hidden within, none of the other teams had been able to capture this demon. All had fled before it, many being wounded in the process.

The small radios that each person carried crackled to life.

"Ok, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, are you in position?"

"Hn, I'm here."

"I'm in place, sensei."

"Heh, I've got a new toy I'd like to share."

The two teammates groaned at the response, but their teacher smiled.

"Ok, Sasuke, Sakura, you two chase the target toward Naruto who will disable it. Then, proceed with the capture."

There was a small shift in the air as the two young ninja released a hail of kunai to the left of the small creature. Scared, it darted to the right in hopes of getting away from the attackers. This seemed to work as it soon found its self alone and far away from the pursuers. Just then a dark shape, holding what looked like some sort of stick or limb, fell in front of the beast and gave a sly smirk.

"Say goodnight kitty." BOOM

The report from the weapon could be heard for miles and was fallowed by a shrill scream in the head set.

"YOU IDIOT!! YOU KILLED IT DIDN'T YOU!!"

Naruto ripped off the radio and rubbed his ear.

'Shit, why did I have to be placed with the banshee of Konaha!'

Soon, he was joined by his sensei and teammates, one of which, wanted to throttle the young blond for apparently 'killing' the target.

"You moron! Now we've failed the mission due to you being too damn trigger happy with that gun of yours!"

Naruto just stood there letting the verbal assault continue while Kakashi checked on the target. Sasuke, however, stared at the weapon with hungry eyes. Ever since Naruto arrived at the training grounds with Kakashi a few months back wearing a whole new look and sporting a new weapon, the 'last Uchiha' had demanded that Naruto turn the weapon over to him. Even thou he had no idea how the gun worked, any weapon would be of use to him if he could kill his brother with it. It didn't help that only a month after receiving the weapon, Naruto was taught by Francis how to fire the gun without transforming. It was nowhere near as powerful, but could still do some major damage. After seeing Naruto begin to forgo normal fighting in favor for using his new gun, his two team mates had confronted their sensei.

Flashback

Sasuke and Sakura had been training as they heard several loud gun shots from across the field. They both stopped and watched as Naruto worked the lever on his chakra gun, aimed, and fired at a tree. The ball of chakra flew strait and true, blasting a large chunk of wood out of his target. Sakura and Sasuke's mouths fell open in shock. However, Sasuke was seeing red.

'Where did that little dope get such a powerful weapon?! I should have it, it should be mine! With it, Itachi wouldn't stand a chance. Then I could rule as I was meant to, no, as the Gods demand I do!'

While Sasuke was having dreams of grandeur, Sakura confronted their sensei.

"Uh, Kakashi sensei, why does Naruto keep using that gun? Will it not hinder his tijutsue development?"

Kakashi glanced over at Sakura and smiled. Even if she was a diehard fan girl, she still had the sharpest mind of any human the scarecrow had ever seen outside of the Nara clan.

"Well, you see, Naruto is somewhat special. That gun is no normal weapon, it uses chakra to operate. Because Naruto has such a large supply of chakra, he is able to use the weapon to great effect. However, if you or even I were to try and fire that gun, it would drain us of our chakra and kill us."

Flashback end

Kakashi's little speech that day had scared Sakura, but Sasuke only wanted the weapon all the more. Kakashi knew he would be trouble, but believed that he could handle what ever came up.

As his students continued to gripe at Naruto, Kakashi came out of the bushes carrying Tora, the cat. It was plain to see that the cat was not dead but clearly did not want to put up a fight. Sakura saw this and turned to Naruto for answers.

"But..I thought..Ok Naruto, what gives, that gun is able to turn trees into fire wood! So how did you keep from killing that cat!?"

sigh "Sakura, I'm not as dumb as I look, why the hell would I want to kill that stupid cat, it would fail the mission! As I said before, I finally learned how to fire non-lethal rounds from the gun. Instead of compressing the chakra into a standard bullet form, I just form a 'bag' out of chakra, fill it half way, and presto! One non-lethal round ready to fire."

Kakashi placed Tora into a carrying case and then patted Naruto on the back.

"Good job with that Naruto, keep it up and who knows how far you will go."

Sasuke just glared at his teammate with hate filled eyes. How dare him to steal the glory, to show him up? It was madness! At least that's how Sasuke saw it. As team seven made their way back to the Hokage tower, these thoughts and others played around in the Uchiha's mind.

Inside the tower the team stood before the Hokage and Iruka, who was accepting the payment from the Fire Lord's wife for a job well done. Everyone cringed when they saw how the cat was 'hugged to death' by the over weight woman, all the while the poor thing had a look in its eyes that said 'FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SAVE ME!!' After the client left, Sarutobi relit his pipe and took a long drag from it.

"Well now that that's out of the way, lets see what else you can do."

The three young ninja groaned at the prospect of more D-ranked missions. At hearing this Iruka sighed and looked over at the team.

"Look, you guys are just genin, your too green to be taking on higher level missions at this point."

Iruka expected Naruto to start screaming that he was ready to 'take on the world', so he was shocked when the young blond just crossed his arms and stayed quiet. Kakashi could see that Naruto wanted to have a new mission, but would not dare to speak up due to the warnings of Mr. O'Mally. Kakashi had hoped that his team would be removed from the duty roster for at least the next two weeks so Naruto could prepare for his next stage in development, or as Francis put it, 'his final shedding'. However, those plans were not to be, due to the greed of a certain brooding genin.

"We need a better mission, 'I' have to get stronger! All of these stupid D-ranked missions will do nothing more than slow me down."

The aged leader just glared at the 'last Uchiha' who was the pet of the council. He hated the fact that they had ruled that if he wanted something, he was to receive it. It had made him furious that he was little more than a puppet leader for the village. The only people who were still loyal to him on the council were the clan heads, and even they were being bullied by Danzo and the other councilmen. However, the old Professor was not helpless. When Sasuke went before the council to demand that Naruto give him his chakra gun, Sarutobi argued that not only was the weapon a gift to the boy, the strain of using the gun would kill their beloved Sasuke. Not only did the council not want to risk their prized student, any chance for the death of the 'fox brat' was more than welcome to their ears.

'Hmm, the brat wants a better mission eh? Well lets see how he handles a C-ranked mission, little spoilt brat! I just wish I could keep Naruto here for his final transformation. sigh Forgive me Naruto.'

"Well Sasuke, since your so eager to work, how about a C-rank mission to the land of Wave. That should keep you out of my hair for a while.

Kakshi was less than pleased with the fact that the Hokage had to bow down to the stuck up Uchiha, and what was worse was that his team would learn Naruto's secret far sooner than he wanted. Sakura was just happy that she would spend time away with her crush and Naruto? Well Naruto was nearly foaming at the mouth. He slowly turned his head to look at Sasuke who was smirking at the Hokage when he turned to Naruto and flinched at what he saw. Naruto's once deep blue, eyes, were now a bright green with slits, and they were glowing! Iruka and Sarutobi could see this and tensed, Kakashi immediately placed himself between the two students and gently squeezed the young kitsune's shoulder twice. It was a signal that the two had created to let him know when he was losing control of his form and to calm down. It seemed to work but Kakashi received a look from the blond that showed fear, sadness, and loads of anger for the emo prince.

Once Sarutobi could see that Naruto was in complete control again, he addressed the team.

"As this will be an extended stay in another land Kakshi, I hope you won't mind if I assigned another person to your squad? The client has requested someone with superb tracking ability to help with spotting bandits and the like. Now, Neji Hyuga and the rest of his team are on a mission in the sand village and the only other trackers to place on your team would be one from Kurenai's team. But, Kiba and Shino are currently with their families for clan training. Now that leaves only Hinata of the Hyuga clan, so she will be your tracker. Any complaints?"

Kakashi inwardly groaned, it wasn't bad enough that Naruto would experience his worst transformation away from the village, but now he would have to baby sit another genin, from Kurenai's team no less! Sasuke didn't care who would be on the team as long as they left him alone to his thoughts. Sakura just hoped that Hinata kept her distance from her Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand, liked Hinata, she was one of the only people he could trust during his days in the academy. Many people thought that he only had eyes for Sakura, this was true in the first year but after too many failed attempts to date the pink fan girl, he turned his eyes to the shy young Hyuga, who would blush and giggle every time he locked eyes with her. Little did he know, was that Hinata already knew about his foxy side after spying / stalking him during one of his transformations he had out in the woods three years ago. Kakashi also knew of the young girl's absolute obsession for his student and began to wonder how the next few days would play out.

'Hmmm, I don't know if I should be envious of scared for Naruto. I truly doubt that he knows of Hinata's obsession over him and his alter ego.'

Everybody in the room then turned to the masked ninja who began to giggle perversely. After a moment, the Hokage waved his hand dismissively and turned to the team.

"Ok, as the client is currently passed out drunk, you along with Hinata will meet him in the morning at the main gate. Dismissed."

As the team left for their homes, Kakashi remained in the office till his students were gone. When the door closed he wheeled around to face his boss who sighed at the cold gaze that was barring down on him.

" I know what you are going to say Kakashi, so save it. I am well aware of what will happen in the next few days and I wish I could have a replacement for Naruto called up. However, all other available genin are out of the village. I'm sorry Kakashi."

The masked ninja just folded his arms while Iruka looked on.

"With all due respect lord Hokage, it is not I who you should say that to. I know you have to cow tow to those bastards in the council, but you know and I know that when Naruto transforms, Sasuke will go crying to the council that he is teamed with a kitsune. I can only do so much."

The old leader rested his face in his hands for a moment before jerking up with a small smirk on his face.

"I've got it! Tell me Kakashi, what is the main feature of a normal kitsune that Naruto does not have?"

"Uh, hmm. I guess it would be the 'star ball'. Naruto has too much power to have one, that's why he'll be transforming in a few days."

"Exactly! The 'star ball', the 'wishing orb'. What if you were to convince Sasuke and Sakura that if they will keep their mouths shut and tell no one, that Naruto will grant them one wish apiece?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side in though while Iruka put his two cents in.

"But lord Hokage, Naruto is no ordinary kitsune. Unlike the kitsune of the past, he has no true magic, only a large amount of chakra. He won't be able to give them any type of 'wish'."

"Very true, but Sasuke does not need to know that. By the time that little brat finds it out, Naruto will be long gone."

The two younger ninjas eyes grew at what the old leader had planed. Kakashi began to chuckle.

"You truly are the professor. Ok, I'll tell Naruto of the plan and go see Mr. O'Mally for some tips for the trip."

With that, the one eyed scarecrow poofed away in a cloud of smoke.

Across town, Naruto was locked in his apartment raging about what was to come. He had lost control and shifted to his fox form, and was snarling and pacing around the room with his tails thrashing about.

"DAMN HIM!! He just had to get another mission! I can't believe this, theirs no way I will make it without shifting! whine What do I do now!?"

Just then, a soft knock came at the door. Naruto knew who it was and called out to them that it was open. Kakashi opened the door and quickly shut it after seeing his student in such a state. As he walked into the small apartment, Kakashi put up a sound shield and grinned at his student.

"Well now, don't you look fearsome. Anyway I just came by to let you in on how we're going to pull the wool over the eyes of Sasuke."

Naruto just growled at the jab but perked up as his sensei explained to him how they were going to mislead his teammates of his true form.

"Well sensei, I guess that will work on Sasuke, after all, he would walk barefoot into hell, if he thought that he would gain power. But Sakura? She's too smart for that. I've even seen her walking around with several books on the history kitsunes, among other things. She will see though the ruse after a while. And of course there's also the person that we will be leading and then there's Hinata, what do we do about them?"

Kakashi just grinned at the mention of the pale eyed Hyuga.

" You leave Sakura and our client to me. As for Hinata? snicker I'm sure you can think of something, 'Mr. Plushy'. BWAHAHAhahahah!"

Kakashi poofed away as Naruto stared in shock.

"Tha Fuck!? Mr. Plushy!? Just what the fuck has sensei been smoking because I want some. Wait! No,no,no she wouldn't!"

Several thoughts began to fly around in Naruto's brain till one flashed to the front. He remembered back a few years ago when he could not get home before he transformed. As he hid that night, he felt liked he was being watched, and every little bit he would hear a small giggle somewhere in the dark. It was just after that night that Hinata began to follow him where ever he went. Always tailing him with small blush and a strange little smile. As this memory popped up, Naruto's foxy mind ran over it again and again, he then came to a conclusion.

"Aw shit."

**Well, A/N time again.**

**A few notes for you.**

**There were a few words that I could not find the spelling to, sorry.**

**The 'Final shedding' will be explained in the next chapter**

**Yes, Hinata WILL be OOC in this fic.**

**Yes, we will see the fight with Zabuza, with a big twist at the end.**

**Yes, Sakura will have a purpose in the fic, stay tuned to find out.**

**Yes, Hinata already knows about Naruto's secret, that he is a kitsune.**

**Yes, I like pie.XP**

**Please R/R Till next time.**


	5. The clouds darken

**Ok first I want to say I'm sorry for this long ass wait, this here at home are taking a turn for the worst, and I'm the one who has to try an keep order around here. That means I've had little time for typing, but never fear new chapters are already in the works, patients is a virtue.**

**Also, please forgive some of the spelling mistakes in this chapter, my computer is being stupid.**

**Now on with the show**

The sun had yet to rise over the village, yet in the home of the Hyuga, Hiashi sat in his study staring at a small scroll. On the beautiful oak desk sat a bottle of sake, with its contents already half gone. The clan head had not returned to his bed chambers that night so it was understandable that there were dark spots beneath his eyes. When he had received the strange scroll the day before, Hiashi had just thought that it was another summons from the council. When he read the parchment however, it filled him with grief.

_'So it has finally come to this, has it? I should have known. To think we once trusted Danzo and the others. Ha! We deserve what is to come. But what should I give as my reply? I can't just leave, not without my daughters and Neji.'_

Rubbing his tired eyes, Hiashi then picked up the scroll and re-read the whole thing.

_"Greetings Lord Hiashi of the Hyuga clan._

_It has come to my attention that you have become little more than a puppet to the elders of your clan, it seems to be common in this town. I also know of the elders plot to kill your oldest child due to her so called, 'failures to the clan'. Now, unlike many, I can see how much you truly care for young Hinata. Though many call you cold and heartless, you are forced to act this way lest you, along with young Hinata will be put to death for what they call weakness. Now for the reason for this message. War is coming, this town WILL fall in the flames of treason and deceit. The only question you need to ask yourself is this. What do I have left in this God forsaken place?_

_So what will it be, leader of the clan? Will you stay and fight for a city that will only kill you and your child after the fighting has stopped, to make room for their new order? Or would you pledge yourself to the new king of the Brethren Court, so you and your family can live in peace? I will give you till sunrise tomorrow to reply. Come to the small shop near the front gate to give me your response._

_Signed, _

_Francis O'Mally _

Hiashi sighed as he stood from his desk with the scroll in hand. He knew what was written was the truth, the elder council of the clan was threatening to kill Hinata if he did not do as ordered. He was forced to be a cold, heartless bastard to his eldest child. He didn't know why they hated her so much. To his knowledge, she had never failed in anything in life. She was tied with the top kunoichi in her class. The only black mark to her name was when that Cloud messenger tried to kidnap the young girl during the treaty signing.

_'And they call me a fool. Well, we'll see who the fool is soon enough.'_

Lord Hiashi then gathered the scroll and sakie bottle before exiting the office, tossing the bottle in the trash on the way out.

///////////////////////

In her bedroom, Hinata was packing her backpack with everything she would need for the long stay in Wave country. As she continued, Hinata thought back to when her sensei had brought news that she was to join team 7 on their trip.

Flashback 12 hours ago

It was late in the afternoon and Kurenai had just left the Hokage tower. She was making her way to the training field to inform her remaining student of the upcoming mission.

_'I wonder just what the heck is going on these days. First, Shino's father removes him from training for his so called 'family training'. Then Tsume takes Kiba and Akamaru out for their own 'family training'. Now team 7 needs Hinata for a mission that should not even require a tracker. Something is up, but damn if I know what it is.'_

Of course, when Kurenai had asked for more info about her students training, the Hokage would just have a sad look in his eyes and ignore the question. That had gotten the red eyed jonin worried more than any thing else. *sigh* _'Why does every thing have to be so damn complicated?'_

When Hinata spotted her sensei entering the field, she bowed and greeted her teacher.

"Good afternoon sensei, is...something wrong"

Kurenai rubbed the back of her neck while shaking her head.

"No Hinata, nothing's wrong. Now then, you will have to prepare for a mission that you will be a part of in the morning. You will be joining team 7 on a simple protection mission to the land of Wave."

Hinata's eyes grew wide as she wondered why she would be sent out without her own team. But when she heard that she would be with team 7, Hinata's face turned bright red.

_'I get to go all the way to Wave with Naruto!? Oh yes! If I'm lucky, maybe I can see him turn into his foxy form! Hehehe I can't wait!_

Kurenai raised an eyebrow when her student began to blush and giggle a little strangely. She knew that Hinata had a huge crush on Naruto, but over the last few years that crush had turned into a bit of an obsession. The red eyed jonin knew what an obsession could bring and prayed for the safety and sanity of the young Hyuga.

Flashback end

Hinata could not stop smiling or thinking of her foxy hero.

_I just hope I get to see Naruto transform. Now, when is it?_

Hinata turned to look at a small calendar that sat behind several trinkets that she had collected over the years. Several red X,s were on top of most of the days except the Mondays, on these day there was a red check mark and several small notes under the day.

_Hmm, lets see, wait! Today IS Monday! That means tonight Naruto will fuzz out! _

Hinata's eyes were wide as she gave a big toothy smile. During the academy, Hinata had always been love sick for Naruto. She could not tell if it was the cute whiskers marks that adorned his face or the 'never give up' attitude he had that made her weak in the knees. However, after watching him transform into a kitsune one night three years ago, the simple crush that Hinata had for the blond knuckle head, turned into an obsession. One reason for this was simple, power. Now she was no Sasuke, she did not exactly want the power for herself, to become all powerful, so to speak, she just wanted it for what she knew would come with it. The casting off of her humanity and the horror it would bring to the elders. All of her life she had been called a waste of space and worse, the elders of the clan wanted her dead and she basically she had few friends, this led to her being in a constent state of depreshion. So when she watched as her crush transformed into a creature of nearly infinite power, it made her mouth water. She could just picture herself ripping out of her fragile shell, her body swelling with the powers of the cosmos, and then going on a killing spree of the old farts in the council. Of course, afterwards, she would settle down with Naruto and have his kids. It would be perfect.

When Hiashi looked into the opened bedroom of his eldest daughter, her found her with a far off look in her eyes and a down right creepy smile on her face. The clan head raised an eyebrow at this and cleared his throat.

"Hinata, gather your supplies and make yourself ready, I'll escort you to the gate for your mission."

When Hinata heard her father, she nearly passed out from surprise but was able to manage a stiff nod in response. She had decided to leave her large coat behind so as to remain cool during the journey, of course the hope that Naruto would notice her had nothing to do with the choice.

Arriving at the front gate, both Hyugas could see that Sasuke and Sakura were trying to drown out the ramblings of a half drunk old man who was no doubt the charge that would have to be guarded. Sasuke seemed to be trying to set a rock on fire by starring at it, while Sakura was looking in a copy of 'Quantum Physics.'

"And that's why I am such a super grate bridge builder. Huh? Who's that?"

Sakura looked up and noticed Hinata, accompanied by her father, were just arriving. Hiashi whispered something to his daughter and made his way into the small shop that they were in front of. Hinata walked over and sat down by Sakura who had gone back to reading her book. The bridge builder looked at the young Hyuga and snorted.

"Oh great, first I get stuck with a bunch of kids and a one eyed masked man, now guess what I get, more kids! Man, this stinks."

Hinata just lowered her head at the cruel words and wished Naruto was here to cheer her up. Her wish came true a moment later when she spotted her hero walking up the small road. At first Hinata's hart soared when she could see the sun kissed hair and whisker marks, but as Naruto came closer, Hinata could tell something was very wrong. Naruto's once bronze skin was now as pale as death while a bit of sweat rolled down the boy's face. His movements were stiff and clumsy, as if in pain, all in all he looked like a walking corpse. Sasuke and Sakura looked up at Naruto who slumped down on the bench next to Hinata who had a hand over her mouth in shock.

*pant* "What's up guys."

Sakura placed her book back in her travel bag and faced her teammate.

"What the hell happened to you Naruto? You look like death warmed over!"

Naruto just smirked and shook his head, while Sasuke went back to brooding, not caring in the least about the state of his teammate. Hinata, on the other hand was scared, something was wrong with her Naruto and she had to find out what.

"Um, Naruto, w-what happened t-t-to you?"

Naruto was about to answer when a jolt of pain ripped thru his chest. He barely suppressed a howl of pain as he griped a trembling hand over his hart. Hinata gasped in fright but Naruto waved her away.

"Don't w-worry Hinata, It's just indigestion, nothing to worry about."

This did nothing to calm the Hyuga heir, but his teammates just brushed it off as him eating too much ramen. Tazuna, the bridge builder, just sighed.

"I'm so dead."

Inside the small shop, Kakashi and Hiashi were standing in front of the counter where Mr. O'Mally stood addressing them.

"So, you agree to the terms, Lord Hiashi?"

The Hyuga clan head stared at the short man for a moment and then bowed.

"Yes, I pledge my loyalty to the new Brethren Court, in the hope for safety for my children and myself"

Francis then wrote down Hiashi's name on a small scroll that had a few other names as well. Hiashi, sensing that this meeting was now at an end, bowed before exiting the shop. Kakashi looked over at his short friend and sighed.

"So, how are we looking?"

"Not good lad, tho with tha head of tha Hyuga on our side we might stand a chance. Just make sure Naruto stays safe."

"You can count on me."

Francis smiled and pulled out a small gold coin. He then flicked the coin over to Kakashi who wondered what it was.

"If something should happen, hold that coin and call out my name. I'll hear it an come as quick as I can."

Kakashi nodded his head and pocketed the coin before turning to leave. Right as he was walking out the door, he could hear Francis whisper, _good luck Naruto, you'll be needing it._

When Hinata saw her father exit the small shop, she sat up a little straighter. However, she was shocked when her normally cold hearted father suddenly knelt down and hugged the young girl. Hinata's eyes were wide, and she wondered if this was some sort of dream.

"Once you are outside the city you will see and hear things that you may see as false, but they are the truth. Kakashi will explain things further, I know I have been cold to you Hinata but it was not my own doing. Please believe me in this, and be careful on your trip. I-I love you Hinata, come back safe."

Everybody else was stunned at the actions of the clan head, all except Kakashi, who had just greeted his team. Once Hiashi returned to his feet, he faced the masked ninja.

"Take care of my child Kakashi, you hear me? I will hold you responsible for her on this mission and if anything happens to her....well..."

Kakashi gulped at the threat and nodded. Hiashi, not waiting for a reply bowed and walked away, but before he could get very far he turned and stared at Naruto, who still looked like death, and bowed.

Team 7 watched the two for a moment more before Naruto gave a small nod in return.

As Lord Hiashi began his trek back to his home, Kakashi gathered everybody up for the trip. He could tell Naruto was in no shape to travel and silently cursed.

'Shit, with Naruto in the state he's in, I'll have to be very careful about our surroundings. He'll be easy pray to any bandits we may encounter.'

///////////////////////

Team 7 trekked all day without any trouble, save for Naruto who had fallen back a small bit due to the pain he felt that was getting stronger. Along about six in the afternoon, the team passed a small puddle in the road, nobody paid it any mind save for Sakura and Kakashi. Sakura, being the walking brain she was, noticed that it had not rained in weeks, witch meant that there should be no water standing anywhere. Kakashi could plainly see that there were two ninja hiding in the water. He did not want to risk a war by killing a pair of what might be hunter ninja on a mission, but if they were after his team, he needed to find out why they were after them.

As the team passed the small puddle, two dark shapes rose from the water. They wore identical outfits that consisted of a long, dark, cloak with a hood and camo pants with steel-toe boots. Both "Demon Brothers" also wore a large gauntlet that held a spool of spiked chain that would connect to the other set once released. After rising from the hole they were hiding in, the two ninja shot out their chains that wrapped around the first enemy they saw. Kakashi, who had been expecting this, gave a small wink to Naruto, who had been wondering why his sensei had just flashed through a set of hand signs. A moment later, the young kitsune watched in horror as his sensei was ripped apart.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!!!"

/////////////////////////////////////

**AN Time**

**Damn! I can't believe I let this go for so long, sorry. **

**In the next episode, we finally see Naruto's Final Shedding**

**Please R/R**

**COOKIES RULE!!!!!!**


	6. gathering storm

Sorry about the long wait, but as I said I would, here is chapter 6, enjoy.

**Last time on ToaK **

As the team passed the small puddle, two dark shapes rose from the water. They wore identical outfits that consisted of a long, dark, cloak with a hood and camo pants with steel-toe boots. Both "Demon Brothers" also wore a large gauntlet that held a spool of spiked chain that would connect to the other set once released. After rising from the hole they were hiding in, the two ninja shot out their chains that wrapped around the first enemy they saw. Kakashi, who had been expecting this, gave a small wink to Naruto, who had been wondering why his sensei had just flashed through a set of hand signs. A moment later, the young kitsune watched in horror as his sensei was ripped apart.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!!!"

/////////////////////////////////////

"One little piggy"

When their sensei was 'killed', Hinata and Sakura placed themselves between their charge and the attackers, while Sasuke charged at the 'demon brothers'. As Sasuke raced in, he fired off a fireball at the first enemy he came to, but it was countered by a wall of water from a nearby river. Seizing an opportunity, the other ninja attacked with a water bullet that sent the 'last Uchiha slamming into a large bolder unconscious. Sakura watched in horror as the boy she loved was completely out classed, she knew that even as skilled and brave as Sasuke was, he was outnumbered and out gunned by the more experienced brothers.

"Two little piggy"

Hinata braced herself for the fight of her life against the two enemy ninja. That was until she turned and saw Naruto collapsed in a heap, holding his head in pain. She could see that the two ninja who had dealt with Sasuke, were about to attack Naruto next. Dashing between the two, Hinata charged chakra into her palms and waited for the charge.

"I won't l-let you h-h-hurt Naruto or the b-bridge builder! If y-you want them, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THRU ME!!!"

Hinata's loud declaration had everybody surprised. She had always been the one to faint at the smallest touch from her hero, Naruto. Sakura looked at her friend with amazement and wondered why she did not feel the same will to protect Saskue.

_'She's willing to give up her life for Naruto. Why? It makes no sense. Or maybe its myself who makes no sense. Damn! Why does the human psyche have to be so fucking COMPLICATED!!!'_

When the two enemy ninja charged, Hinata braced herself for what was to be her last stand. But just as the first ninja got within striking range, a small beam of blue light pierced his hart. Staring at the smoldering hole, the mist ninja gurgled once and dropped forward, dead. Seeing his brother die in such a way, the other mist ninja turned and shouted into the trees.

"YOU BASTARD!!!"

His life was also taken in the same manor, as another beam shot out from the trees and tore into his head, causing it to pop like a grape. Hinata just stood there, too afraid to move.

_Wh-what just happened?! That light, what was that light?"_

As the dust cleared, Kakashi, still in one piece, walked from the trees. He had a deep frown that could be seen even with his mask still on. A strange device was held in his right hand, the small barrel was still smoking. The small weapon was only about six inches long, with a wooden hand grip at the rear just like Naruto's. However, this small gun did not have the large lever below the trigger; instead, it held a small gold hammer at the top that would strike another piece of metal just below it.

As Kakashi made his way over to the group, he began to give out orders.

"Sakura, go retrieve Saskue and take Tazuna with you. Set up a camp site in the woods just off the road and have some water ready."

With a quick 'yes sir', the two made their way into the woods while Kakashi turned to Hinata who was trying her best to find out what was wrong with Naruto.

"Hinata I want you to go to the river and soak some rags, while you do that I'll get Naruto off the road, go."

The pale eyed Hyuuga seemed torn between helping the boy she loved and following orders. Seeing the reluctance in her eyes, Kakashi laid a hand on Hinata's slim shoulder.

"Hinata listen to me, Naruto is about to undertake a change that will tax his vary soul and we both need to be there for him and help in any way we can. So don't worry, I'll watch him till you get back. Hinata said nothing as she gazed back down at her hero who was groaning in pain, but after a few moments, Hinata kissed her fingers and gently touched Naruto's head before dashing off toward the river. Kakashi watched this and grinned while he gathered the disabled blond into his arms.

"Naruto my boy, you've got yourself one heck of a reason to pull though this, so don't disappoint us."

Naruto's whole body was in pain. Every joint, every cell in his body screamed in agony. This was unlike any other shift he had done in the past and he knew deep down, this would be his last. When he saw Kakashi get torn to bloody shreds, he felt something deep inside himself snap. It was like a balloon that had been inflated till it could hold no more. Now he found himself deep within the dark halls of his own mind. It was much like an old bunker, with reinforced concrete walls and old pipes running overhead. Naruto retreated to this place many times in the past, mostly when the people of the village would form mobs to hunt him down in their yearly 'Fox Hunt'. As he continued down the hallways, Naruto could see that the old concrete was crumbling right before his eyes, giving way to shiny heavy weight metal beneath.

"Well, at this rate, the transformation will be complete in less than an hour. I just...I just wonder what the others will say."

"Oh don't worry yourself about that, because you'll soon be taking a grand tour of the underworld."

Naruto turned and jumped back at the creature that stood in front of him. It was a female, nine tailed kitsune, he also noted that the stranger was completely naked with fur as black as the night. Strange rune lines were tattooed around its biceps, thighs, and neck. The runes looked similar in shape to a chain.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get into my mind!?"

Naruto was shocked to say the least. Not even a Yamanaka could enter his mind, yet this fox lady just shows up out of the blue.

Just then the vixen disappeared in a flash of red, and Naruto could feel the kitsune's warm breath tickling his neck.

"You poor deluded child. To think that my power was used to create such a repulsive weakling as yourself, maddening. Yet, you are a far cry from my sorry excuse of a daughter. As for how I got in, well, you can't stop a goddess."

Naruto dashed forward and fell into a defensive stance and watched as the vixen began to float into the air. The once grey runes now began to glow a bright red, matching her silted eyes.

"I, Empress Natasha, shall tear your soul asunder and use your body to rain death and chaos across this land!"

Red energy began to gather in her palms while her hands rose over her head. However, just as Natasha was bringing her hands down to cast the power, a blinding blue light, followed by a thunderous '**BOOM'** forced the two to duck and cover. Natasha was the first to recover from the loud blast.

"Who dares attack me, the future ruler of this world!? *gasp* rrrrRRRR **YOU!!!!**"

Naruto was rattled from the explosion, as he staggered to his feet and heard his intruder's cry of rage, he turned to his left and felt his jaw drop. Standing only a few feet away was yet another kitsune with its hands held out with steam coming from the palms. Like Natasha, this newcomer had nine long tails that would be as long as Naruto's own when transformed. It also had the strange rune lines tattooed in the same places, but the similarities ended there. This new kitsune's runes and eyes were a bright, glowing, bluish white, like glaciers. Its fur was a dark royal blue while the hair on its head was a deep lavender. But, the one thing that surprised Naruto the most was that this new vixen was wearing the remains of a dark pair of pants and a grey, fluffy coat. The pants were little more than rags now, having seemingly exploded off their wearer. The coat was fairing little better, most of the seams had been ripped due to the pressure, while the rest were holding on for dear life.

At seeing such a sight, Naruto's mind froze as this new kitsune spoke in an all too familiar voice.

"First you cursed me the moment I was born, then, you sealed my power away when I became a threat to you, and now you try to take the only person I love away from me!? I will never forgive you!** PREPARE TO DIE, MOTHER!!!!**

Naruto looked on with shock as his mindscape disappeared in a blinding flash.

_Hinata, why, how, what's going on? Why is this happening!? WHY?!?!_

**To be continued.**

**AN TIME.**

So, things are starting to come together, eh? If you want to know how Hinata looks, picture a nine tailed version of Krystal from Star Fox. As for Naruto, don't worry, more things will be explained in the next chapter.

As promised, I have updated. I have to say, for the last four months, things have really gone crazy around here, but I won't bore you with the details (shudder)

My schooling is coming along nicely, and I'm learning so much about computers.

I also wish to thank everybody who has been waiting for the next chapter, sorry it took so long, but RL must come first.

In other news, a new chapter for OLC is in the works but I will concentrate on ToaK for the moment. However, in the interest of staving off Writers Block, I will be posting some new stories in the coming weeks. I have found that if I switch between several stories for each time, then WB becomes less of an issue. Don't worry, a new chapter for ToaK is already in the works(along with others).

Here is a hint for what might or might not be coming out in a new X-over story.

_**Glory for the first man to die, charge!**_

— Unknown Commissar

So, keep an eye out for some new work from me in the future, till next time.


	7. an time

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of **AN. **The next installment of Trails of a Kitsune, has hit a bit of a snag. I can't seem to find a good way to end the chapter, which by the way will be equal parts Naurto/Hinata fluff and fighting with everybody's favorite eyebrow less Mist ninja.

Operation Last call is in similar condition, only its much worse because I had planned on having a rather large battle above the bridge, yes I said 'above the bridge'.

Now then, I would like to take this time to answer a few questions I have been receiving about my stories.

Q. Thunder Chief, why do you show the characters transforming into furries, wtf?!

A. To be truthful, I find it easier this way, the "furry" characters are a bit easier for me to describe for some reason. Must have been all those Tom and Jerry cartoons I watched way back when.

Q. What's with making some of the characters crazy?

A. Their children who have been raised to kill people most likely before the age of 18, and your complaining about me making some of them psycho?!

Q. What the heck was the deal with making Hinata's mom evil? Out of left field much?!

A. Ok, I needed someone to be the whole "Supper Evil Baddie". I have plans for Sasuke(grins), Kakashi is a good guy, Hinata's father is also good. I also needed someone to be bad enough to make even shy little Hinata want to obliterate something.

Q. What's with all the weird shit in your story?

A. When I wright, I have two goals in mind: one is two wright something that nobody else has ever done. Two: I like to have fun with my stories.

Ok, now, it is time for YOU the reader to make a couple of choices. That's right, I will let the reader dictate a few things, and yes, I had this planed from the start.

The first thing is Sasuke, many hate him(me included) however, at the third stage of the exams, there will be a crossroad(meaning that the story can go one of two ways). Sasuke could be good and go thru a humbling phase, or if you wish, he can be evil. If you want to put your choice in, just leave it in a review. When the time comes, I will look over the stats and decide what to do. I will put up more once I get done with the next chapter.

Till then remember: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."- Albert Einstein


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